How did it get so tangled up, and why here of all places?

Cha Han Bin cursed under his breath as he mulled over how he ended up here.

Visiting Kim Yeon Woo that day was just an impulse. It stemmed from a minor curiosity and concern about what evidence P Cars supposedly had.

This was a skewed game from the start. Industrial espionage wasn’t even Cha Han Bin’s forte. He just got stuck with it because it looked complex, and the seniors all avoided it.

Moreover, those idiots at R Motors had violated so many laws.

Taking on this absurd case where he was losing to P Cars from start to finish, the thought of groveling before Kwon Jun Hwi for favor was dizzying.

So, he tried to shake up the opposing team.

He believed that would level the playing field.

That crucial evidence he heard about, he just wanted to see what it was, if possible. If it was in the form of documents, it wasn’t impossible.

Of course, Cha Han Bin never entertained the ridiculous idea of ‘stealing’ it.

…Until he knew Kim Yeon Woo was alone in the situation room.

And there happened to be something important-looking on her desk.

And he happened to think of a good idea to take it…!

Yes. This is all because of Kim Yeon Woo.

Pretending not to know, pretending to be sloppy, yet never giving him a proper opening, that annoying woman!

Smiling in front, but behind the scenes, she’s a girl who looks out for her own gain. And at some point, she teamed up with that loathsome Kwon Jun Hwi.

“This is, all because of who!”

Cha Han Bin’s whole body trembled as he clenched his fist. His jaw muscles tensed threateningly.

“There’s no one else to blame. You brought this on yourself.”

With that, Cha Han Bin’s unsavory curses echoed loudly through the conference room.

Unable to calm down, Cha Han Bin kicked chairs and threw phones around.

Despite the chaos, Jun Hwi remained unmoved. In contrast to the fuming Cha Han Bin, he even murmured quietly.

“I’m sure I made it clear from the start. Don’t play games in front of me.”

“Kwon Jun Hwi! Who are you to meddle all the time!”

Jun Hwi ignored Cha Han Bin’s rants and stood up.

“The decision in this personal negotiation is yours. How you’ll disappear.”

With that, he walked straight out, opening the conference room door and leaving amidst the murmuring crowd.

These past few days had been the worst for Yeon Woo.

There was a huge incident with Cha Han Bin, and since that day, communication with Jun Hwi had been cut off.

But with the negotiation day approaching, she had to move busily, unable to conclude anything.

Since that day, there were no rumors or mentions of the incident. It seemed the lawyers had kept a tight lid on things.

But it was a clear criminal act. The fact that such a big issue was simply being covered up was undeniable.

Thus, Yeon Woo’s mind only became more troubled.
Cha Han Bin’s shock left no room for composure. The awkwardness with Jun Hwi was worrying, and work kept piling up endlessly.

Only Lawyer Yang treated Yeon Woo the same as before. She offered consolation that ‘since there was no harm done, don’t worry too much for now’. She also gave practical advice to focus on the immediate tasks at hand.

Lawyer Hong Yu Kyung kept her mouth shut and avoided Yeon Woo altogether.

That was actually a relief. It would have been unbearable if Hong had awkwardly stepped in and attacked Yeon Woo.

As for Jun Hwi… It was hardest to read his mind.

His words and actions regarding work, acting as if that incident never happened, were appropriately indifferent as before.

Yet, there was an undeniable feeling that he subtly avoided facing Yeon Woo.

What if, like what Cha Han Bin had blabbered, she had lost his trust?

And what if he mistakenly thought she still harbored feelings for that guy?

How great it would be to talk it out with him. But she couldn’t disrupt his focus with such important matters at hand.

So, these past few days, Yeon Woo also took care not to encounter him. She avoided creating even brief moments alone with him, whether in the corridors or anywhere else.

Meanwhile, Yeon Woo found herself more eagerly wishing for the busy period to end.

This time, she had a solid reason to approach him first.

‘I avoided him twice.’

She had turned away twice, leaving Jun Hwi alone, once when he held her arm in the situation room and once while waiting at the emergency stairs.

She wanted to apologize for that. To say she was sorry for neglecting him and that it wasn’t sincere.

Among these jumbled thoughts, Yeon Woo just hoped for time to pass quickly.

“Tomorrow’s the day, Assistant. You’ve worked hard taking care of my tasks while working in the special situation room!”

“It wasn’t hard. Thank you.”

The encouragement from Ji Eun, whom she met in the break room after a long time, sounded like a countdown, ‘it’s almost over now’.

“But the situation room can be dismantled on Monday, right? Since the negotiation is on Friday.”

“Yeah. Let’s take our time. It hasn’t been officially decided to dismantle it yet.”